The Salvation Army has joined calls for the UK government to help prevent homelessness in Scotland by scrapping the planned freeze on Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

Scottish Housing Minister Paul McLennan MSP has already written to his counterpart over the border, urging a rethink over the freeze, which is due to come into force in April across the UK.

Many landlords both inside and outside Scotland who have tenants in receipt of benefits often find them falling into arrears as the gap betwen their rent and housing benefit or Universal Credit payments widens.

New figures show that from April to September 2024, homelessness applications in Scotland hit 20,823 - an increase of 1% compared with the same period in the previous year.

Particularly acute shortfalls in Edinburgh and Glasgow place renters at increased risk of homelessness as they struggle to make up the difference between their rental costs and what they receive in LHA, says Helen Murdoch (main image), assistant director (Scotland) with The Salvation Army.

Rental JAMs

“Too many people in Scotland are just about managing their rents and often having to rely on our foodbanks, debt advice service and other support to make ends meet,” she says.

“Unfreezing the LHA would help to stop people losing their home and ensure families don’t have to cut essentials like food or heating to make ends meet.”  

The Salvation Army welcomes plans to embed homelessness prevention in the Housing Bill in Scotland, however Murdoch adds: “Anything we do here in Scotland is at grave risk of being undermined if the UK government presses ahead with plans to restrict support for less well-off renters by freezing LHA rates later this year.”

According to Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre, one-bedroom flats saw the second-highest increase of any property type in the Scottish capital at the end of 2024, with demand outstripping supply and rents at around £1,100 per month. The LHA rate for a one-bed flat in Edinburgh is just under £700 per month.